Never really appreciated how much is lost to cut down a gem and do it justice. Makes me appreciate the skill of the cutter and the beauty and nature of the stone. Thank you for sharing.
I don't think you have a Morgan Freeman style voice... or particularly good at narrating.... but I can hear in your voice the joy you have in your work and it creates the best possible narrating. You're truly a joy to watch. Keep living the dream sir.
Wow! Back in a former life, I used to custom work stones and jewelry. Opal has always been my favorite stone - if there ever was a stone that was "alive", opal would be it. You've done some amazing work with working this rough into some beautiful finished products. Truly a pleasure watching an artist at work :)
I lived near Coober Pedy for a few years back in the 80's and got to see quite a few really nice pieces during my visits. You did a great job with an awesome specimen. Great video - very calming and instructional. Thanks!
I truly appreciate all of the comments, both positive and negative. I apologize for possibly misleading you guys about the quality of the rough stone.. At the beginning of the video I have photos of all six sides of the rough stone. Five sides of it either have major flaws or lots of sand and potch. Unfortunately, the "good side" is shown TWICE, so it may appear that the high-grade material extended all the way through to the opposite side. That was not the case: From the start of the video, the first 18 seconds are all of the "good side." The true opposite side can be seen at the 41-45 second mark. A number of comments mention that I "wasted a lot of good opal." As many experienced opal cutters know, the yield (percentage of usable opal obtained from rough) for all precious opal ranges from 10 to 50 percent (on average). Some rough may yield as much as 70 percent or more; but because it is easy to detect "high-yield" opal, the seller will price it higher! The stone is the video is severely flawed, by any measure. My yield for this stone was 24.8% (40 carats of 161 carats). The majority of high-grade opal that I wasted was the opal that was "lost" in making oval, rather than free-form cabochons. For those who know the "loose stone" opal market, oval stones cost roughly 20-25% more than free-form cabochons. I wasted about 7-10 carats of high-grade opal (25% of the total yield; 6% of the 161 ct rough). [The two customers who ordered the pendants actually REQUESTED oval cabochons, and they paid the "oval cabochon" price]. Most of the material that was truly "wasted" was either sandstone matrix, or severely flawed or very potchy opal. Small pockets of high-grade opal that I cut through had to be sacrificed in order to find the main area of high grade material. An additional 10-20 carats of low-grade opal cabochons COULD have been made from this rough, but in my work, I have no demand for low-grade opal. (I personally like the lower grades, but my customers apparently do not!) I try to plan the cutting of an opal as well as possible, but sometimes, the cutting does not go as expected. Even high-yield opal usually contains unexpected and disappointing flaws. After all of the great opal that I have cut, it is still find it unnerving to start cutting an expensive piece of opal. Once again, thanks for watching and commenting.
I completely understand the loss required, I just want to know if it would be possible to buy the scrap? I don't intend to sell or turn into jewelry I just love the stone and would love to make some small rubs to admire :)
Really was a great video to watch. I know watching lots of opal cutting videos that sometimes the potch or sand can eat up a rough that appears to be. Great stone. Amazing work. Thank you for sharing the process
I don't know what other people were saying but upon your explanation it was very clear to me as to why you had to keep going in further to find the real gem. No one would have wanted anything to do with the significant number of holes or dense sand areas. You had to find what was hidden. In addition, the stone that you were shown was very different than the one you received. I think your artistry found gems in what others might have ditched or let their kids play with. Great job!! Lynn
That stone looked amazing when polished, like heavenly clouds in your dreams, or the rainbow bridge to asgard from bifröst world in middle realm. Truly inspiring and worthy of much money.
it takes a special kind of person and skill, to go ahead and cut THAT perfect stone from such a big and beautiful source specimen, without feeling bad about wasting/loosing so much of the opal in the process. Impressive,
These educational videos are super helpful in analyzing the shape of the stone and what to do next and how to deal with issues like scratches and flat spots. Please share your knowledge. They are appreciated.
wow i never seen opal brought to life before, the amount of loss was really suprising, but i could understand why because the video was well narrated. Looked amazing did the big piece at the beginning but that work on it really brought it too life!
skilled, knowledgeable equals beautiful opal --takes much experience and hands on practice. Opal one of the toughest to work on and wind up with a good piece. And of course have to have a good piece of rough to begin with. Artist at work here.
Beautiful work! Pleasure to watch! My first serious piece of jewelry was a black Opal pendant. It was a picture frame about one inch wide by 2 inches long and had a mosaic of Opal pieces filling the frame. I made payments on it for months then leveling wore it every day. Worth every penny!! Lots of lightning blue and green flashes. 💕
I was in the Air Force, stationed at Ubon, Thailand 1970-71. Of all things, there was a lapidary shop on base. The shop sold raw cat's eye, black sapphires, and raw opal. I used to go there on my day off, and buy and polish opals. It was neat, but a raw opal might look beautiful, untouched, and when it was polish-ground down to get the imperfections out, the color and brilliance was gone. Tricky stuff. Frustrating, but an interesting learning experience. I still have several pieces.
I bought an opal in Bangkok and designed a heavy gold ring setting for it. A nice thing about Bangkok is that if you can design something, they can build it. The opal had so much fire that it would draw the eyes from across a large room.
My. Mom and dad took up lapidary as a hobby 45 years ago and being in NM, they went looking N found beautiful agate...they bought all the requisite equipment all lapidary hobbits needed and to work they went... I’ll be dog-gone, they got pretty good! Dad made mom several agate and silver rings, necklace ,bracelet, and pendants. Now that they are gone, I have all of the jewelry and believe It or not i received All of their lapidary equipment and books on top of books of how-to...now I have bought several semi-precious stones, I.e peridot, garnets and even a beautiful emerald cut aquamarine...and yes even one nice size 42 carat raw opal...thank you sir for showing me ur talent...
I cringed to see that beautiful fire cut down again and again but I'm sure it's the nature of the beast and the final outcome was beautiful. Thanks for the video.
The person selling the rough stone really knows how to photograph to accentuate with colours with the black background. Very vibrant colours, worked out fantastic!
Im new here. Everytime you cut the stone i was cringing thinking wtf its so pretty why is he cutting it, and then now im at the end and holy hell is that one beautiful stone you got from inside that other beautiful stone. Great heirloom for that family, hope it survives generations!
You were so lucky that the red orientation faced center. I've cut that material often, best color always has crud in it. Nice to see a clean gems for a change. Seems like there was always black/brown spec on the back with the hope it wouldnt show thru. I hope you were paid honest value on a crystal double. Love your work btw.
@@PulitzerOpal I had to quit selling my gems to N.America, we're sadly a Diamond society. My best always went to Thailand jewelry designers. They pay 3 times what an American will pay.
When I was 14 I worked in the lapidary shop and got to grade buckets of white opal, and kept the best stuff for myself. But the sold it all when I needed money later. Half pound of gem grade. I’m an idiot. My favorite gem of all time.
Well done it looks beautiful....opal is the nicest stobe/gem out there by a long way. Would love to see someone cut an opal like they cut diamonds with all the angled shapes.
Both of those are really nice beautiful stones, the one you used as a replacement in the pendant was a great replacement. You did a nice job cutting those it looks like. Thanks for sharing.
@Pulitzer Opal: You wouldn't get as many big cutting wheel scours across your primary work face if you just pushed the stones through in the one direction, you marked out your cut ..stick to that line like you do. Its rotating your cutting line thats scouring the work, the blade isn't meeting your previous cuts in exactly the same line across your working plane. I'm not being nasty. Respectfully, you lose significant stone weight cleaning your wheel cutter's scour marks away from primary gem faces. I worked on all kinds of grinders and polished finished aerospace components, in my machining trade. I worked at benches and drills too. And lathes and mills but that was my trade. If fingers and thumbs are a worry, and I reckon thats fair, why not use a padded-jaw multi-grip to clamp and hold opal once you have your piece rubbed and judge it necessary to slice in halves? Fold some leather over the multi-grip jaws, voila! Hold the work with that, practice with something not so valuable until you are comfortable about it. Different size multi-grips scale down to palm size, you don't need a 10lb monster 12 inches long in heavy forged chrome-vanadium steel.
I know nothing about cutting stones or opals. But your replacement stone was perfect for my eyes. I've never seen a stone being cut and shaped custom like that.
I visited Coober Pedy in 1987 when I was on temporary assignment in Woomera with the USAF. I purchased a rough opal and had it made into two sets of earrings and a pendant for my sisters and mother. I'll never forget the drive through the outback from Woomera to Coober Pedy.
Absolutely beautiful opal. Fire red like that is not common. I have some top grade welo with fire like that, but I think nothing beats aussie opal. Blues & greens are common, the rare end is red. Thanks for great video, enjoyed watching.
Yes , you did very well . Just one thing , and this question comes from a novice (that Whiter Shade Of Pale Full Version guy in London) : you really demonstrate just how important orienting is in the last minute or so of this video , by which i'm asking that orienting , and getting the facing forward angle of the dome bit right seems to be the most difficult bit . Cutting the final shape and polishing will be the first skills a cutter would learn , is that right to say - and the orienting is where you really have to be time served / experienced . Anyway , thank you , as always - the gorgeous red + oranges you draw out in the smaller stone are so beautiful .
@@PulitzerOpal - thank you very much for taking the time to reply . Yes , and ''directional'' , the meaning thereof , is also , I presume , something one would learn the meaning of whilst learning how to ''orient'' . This is not a question for now , as it is not a budget option atmo , but I guess learning more about cutting opal etc , is something one would do with a connection , meaning there are not really courses in the same . I am lucky to know a few people in the UK opal cutting community , so I will crack on from that position , I would think , obvs , one would hone your cab cutting skills first , on either potch - or do you recommend obsidian also .
OMG, that is SO gorgeous! My birthstone is opal, but I've always loved all opals. They are the MOST extraordinary stone, and so incredibly unique. The black opal is just the best. I wish I could afford that stone, because I would be so honored to wear it. No stone on earth has the color, flash, fire and diversity as the opal. Can't stop looking at them.
So many "what a waste" comments. Go learn to cut stones before you sprout garbage. There is a hell of a lot more involved in getting a good cut, especially with color change stones and opal, than simply getting the biggest/most stones out of your rough. I am not a gem cutter but I have friends that are and believe me, he did a great job with the stones he got out of a particularly risky rough purchase. The larger stone on it's own would be considered a win from a rough of that quality. In hindsight, sure, he probably could have gotten more out of it but that is the nature of the game, you don't know till you do it.
Pulitzer Opal Amen ignore those folks. They are ignorant. Let them go buy the milky white crap in the mall. If they saw a opal in a pile of rocks they would not even know what they were looking at.
Xaltar he can waste quite a bit of material when doing these videos. I’m he thing is, he is looking to get money off of these stones. Most of us who work in lapidary would try to get as much material as possible but that is just not worth his time.
Aesthetic appeal is subjective. I agree he brought out the best parts the stone had to offer but people aren't necessarily wrong in wanting a sinngle huge stone no matter what sort of expertise they have. It's not like buying a car or appliance where there a re hard performance rating to compare. It's more like two people going to a butcher and one person just buys the fillet while the other guy decides he wants the whole porterhouse scrap parts and all (in this case the bone?)
You did amazing. I don't know the words to describe how opals make me feel. I just am so in love. I'm a rockhound in the truest sense of the word. But nothing comes close to opals for me. That was an amazing stone.
I personally found this very fascinating and well said. You provided the thought process involved in your decision making attacking the raw product. I suppose it would be "rude" for me to ask what the price range was in the raw material purchase versus the finished products? My motivation for asking is because I am researching this subject for a screenplay.
This one turned out some gorgeous stones!! I'm always awed watching you work. When you first showed that stone, I thought you might get 1 or 2 nice ones, but wow.
O.M.G. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen..... I am a huge fan of Opal.....I’m in love and WISH I could get my hands on that one rite there.WOWZERS .... But, it’s BAD LUCK to purchase my own.....
Great job upgrading that pendant. Before with the original stone the piece looked flat, did not "pop". Getting the dome on the piece you selected must have been tricky, however, the end result was very pretty to my eyes.
I think using a 2.7 needle rig with a 0.9 tooth file along 785G point-crimp would help. If that helps I’d be amazed because I made it all up. But if it works I want credit for that.
I'd say if you're not comfortable doing it, then don't do it. It's your business. Alternatively, you could be vague about it (e.g. "low five figures"). I'm curious about the finances of this too, but it's just idle curiosity. It's your personal business and what you reveal is up to you. Interesting video. Cheers!
Bbooj Smooya makes a great point. Never wanted to force you in that direction, but people like numbers haha. Btw you can edit your comments @pulitzer Opal . Looking forward to some new vids, greetings from Amsterdam.
How beautiful!! God truly has made such beautiful things!!! I can only imagine seeing creations such as this lining heaven full of love and peace and God's grace!! I hope everyone here can learn to live in God's glorious spirit!!
Incredible job, I'm sure she was thrilled with the new replacement. You really have a great talent. I love opal one of my favorites. It was a great to watch you. Thanks
Pulitzer Opal- Certainly. They calm me and help me remember the world is still wondrous, in spite of the calamity and turmoil. That thumbs-down up there⬆is someone jealous and bitter. I feel sorry for it. Thanks for your vids. Appreciated!
My best friend and I were 10, so 21 years ago we ran to the store, crossing the black asphalt we really did run. My best friend lost her opal stone from her brother’s necklace. We stopped traffic looking for it. We look for thirty mins. Nothing, every time I go over the spot to this day I still wonder where it went. I thought it was going to reflect the sun so easily we were bound to find it. I told Lauren she must of lost it som where else, she intently yelled no I know it fell down my shirt and my necklace got a lot lighter. I did not want to stop looking for it, she said “it’s gone let’s go” that was the last gift her brother at the time was 20 gave her, he had passed away and I knew how much she loved that necklace. It was a big deal her mom didn’t want her wearing it everyday. I see opal and think where did it go? We really looked hard.
By watching you and listening to you talk you have taught me how to talk down the sellers but I'm not a theif or liar. So I have a very hard time stealing from people. Especially people who work their butts of for next to nothing. So I'll return half of what I make to the actual minners. I'm sorry but I'm not greedy. Spread love not greed or hate.
@@PulitzerOpal pops I never in a million years ment to offend you or say that you stole. I was simply telling you that I am unable to do that. I was raised not to be a theif or liar is all I ment by the comment. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me.
@@jameslund2658 Mate you should try to buy and sell and make a living, youll soon find its not about stealing or taking advantage of anyone, its business and as many times as you win you lose, in my opinion Pulitzer paid top dollar for this pice and should be getting a 3-400% profit but only got 200% which is almost untenable as a base rate of return in the gem industry from mine to market.
I like your vids as I've always had a thing for opals, but never owned any and would love to mine for some, but LOL none in England..... Congrats on your expertise and thanks for sharing...
Never really appreciated how much is lost to cut down a gem and do it justice. Makes me appreciate the skill of the cutter and the beauty and nature of the stone. Thank you for sharing.
I don't think you have a Morgan Freeman style voice... or particularly good at narrating.... but I can hear in your voice the joy you have in your work and it creates the best possible narrating.
You're truly a joy to watch. Keep living the dream sir.
Wow! Back in a former life, I used to custom work stones and jewelry. Opal has always been my favorite stone - if there ever was a stone that was "alive", opal would be it. You've done some amazing work with working this rough into some beautiful finished products. Truly a pleasure watching an artist at work :)
I lived near Coober Pedy for a few years back in the 80's and got to see quite a few really nice pieces during my visits. You did a great job with an awesome specimen. Great video - very calming and instructional. Thanks!
I think Opals are the most beautiful of all gemstones. Love this video!💙
Incredible craftsmanship. Turning that 'problem' stone into those cabochons was nothing short of astonishing. Kudos!!
I truly appreciate all of the comments, both positive and negative. I apologize for possibly misleading you guys about the quality of the rough stone.. At the beginning of the video I have photos of all six sides of the rough stone. Five sides of it either have major flaws or lots of sand and potch. Unfortunately, the "good side" is shown TWICE, so it may appear that the high-grade material extended all the way through to the opposite side. That was not the case: From the start of the video, the first 18 seconds are all of the "good side." The true opposite side can be seen at the 41-45 second mark.
A number of comments mention that I "wasted a lot of good opal." As many experienced opal cutters know, the yield (percentage of usable opal obtained from rough) for all precious opal ranges from 10 to 50 percent (on average). Some rough may yield as much as 70 percent or more; but because it is easy to detect "high-yield" opal, the seller will price it higher!
The stone is the video is severely flawed, by any measure. My yield for this stone was 24.8% (40 carats of 161 carats). The majority of high-grade opal that I wasted was the opal that was "lost" in making oval, rather than free-form cabochons. For those who know the "loose stone" opal market, oval stones cost roughly 20-25% more than free-form cabochons. I wasted about 7-10 carats of high-grade opal (25% of the total yield; 6% of the 161 ct rough). [The two customers who ordered the pendants actually REQUESTED oval cabochons, and they paid the "oval cabochon" price]. Most of the material that was truly "wasted" was either sandstone matrix, or severely flawed or very potchy opal. Small pockets of high-grade opal that I cut through had to be sacrificed in order to find the main area of high grade material. An additional 10-20 carats of low-grade opal cabochons COULD have been made from this rough, but in my work, I have no demand for low-grade opal. (I personally like the lower grades, but my customers apparently do not!)
I try to plan the cutting of an opal as well as possible, but sometimes, the cutting does not go as expected. Even high-yield opal usually contains unexpected and disappointing flaws. After all of the great opal that I have cut, it is still find it unnerving to start cutting an expensive piece of opal.
Once again, thanks for watching and commenting.
I completely understand the loss required, I just want to know if it would be possible to buy the scrap? I don't intend to sell or turn into jewelry I just love the stone and would love to make some small rubs to admire :)
Really was a great video to watch. I know watching lots of opal cutting videos that sometimes the potch or sand can eat up a rough that appears to be. Great stone. Amazing work. Thank you for sharing the process
What a birds eye view of knowledge, skill and dexterity. How beautiful the end products. Wow
I don't know what other people were saying but upon your explanation it was very clear to me as to why you had to keep going in further to find the real gem. No one would have wanted anything to do with the significant number of holes or dense sand areas. You had to find what was hidden.
In addition, the stone that you were shown was very different than the one you received. I think your artistry found gems in what others might have ditched or let their kids play with. Great job!!
Lynn
yes just like God rolls away the grind in us to reveal hidden beauty
That stone looked amazing when polished, like heavenly clouds in your dreams, or the rainbow bridge to asgard from bifröst world in middle realm. Truly inspiring and worthy of much money.
it takes a special kind of person and skill, to go ahead and cut THAT perfect stone from such a big and beautiful source specimen, without feeling bad about wasting/loosing so much of the opal in the process. Impressive,
That opal is amazingly beautiful. Vibrant colours.
These educational videos are super helpful in analyzing the shape of the stone and what to do next and how to deal with issues like scratches and flat spots. Please share your knowledge. They are appreciated.
Fantastic craftsmanship , always interesting watching an expert explain the process.
The opal in the pedant you created gives it so much more vvarmth & vibrance, TY for sharing this video
I had no idea people were serious enough about gems to get offended when someone makes jewelry out of them. The results look good to me!
I'm offended when I shop on wish for gemstones.
@@LaurentiusTriarius 😂
Love you
Thank you for sharing both your knowledge and your skill. Gently coaxing the unwanted out to create a real beauty of a keepsake! Great work!
wow i never seen opal brought to life before, the amount of loss was really suprising, but i could understand why because the video was well narrated. Looked amazing did the big piece at the beginning but that work on it really brought it too life!
skilled, knowledgeable equals beautiful opal --takes much experience and hands on practice. Opal one of the toughest to work on and wind up with a good piece. And of course have to have a good piece of rough to begin with. Artist at work here.
I think you did a beautiful job with cutting this opal! Very much an artist's eye.
Beautiful work! Pleasure to watch! My first serious piece of jewelry was a black Opal pendant. It was a picture frame about one inch wide by 2 inches long and had a mosaic of Opal pieces filling the frame. I made payments on it for months then leveling wore it every day. Worth every penny!! Lots of lightning blue and green flashes. 💕
I was in the Air Force, stationed at Ubon, Thailand 1970-71. Of all things, there was a lapidary shop on base. The shop sold raw cat's eye, black sapphires, and raw opal. I used to go there on my day off, and buy and polish opals. It was neat, but a raw opal might look beautiful, untouched, and when it was polish-ground down to get the imperfections out, the color and brilliance was gone. Tricky stuff. Frustrating, but an interesting learning experience. I still have several pieces.
After watching again, I've changed my mind. Beautifully cut!
I bought an opal in Bangkok and designed a heavy gold ring setting for it. A nice thing about Bangkok is that if you can design something, they can build it. The opal had so much fire that it would draw the eyes from across a large room.
Pic please
My. Mom and dad took up lapidary as a hobby 45 years ago and being in NM, they went looking N found beautiful agate...they bought all the requisite equipment all lapidary hobbits needed and to work they went... I’ll be dog-gone, they got pretty good! Dad made mom several agate and silver rings, necklace ,bracelet, and pendants. Now that they are gone, I have all of the jewelry and believe It or not i received All of their lapidary equipment and books on top of books of how-to...now I have bought several semi-precious stones, I.e peridot, garnets and even a beautiful emerald cut aquamarine...and yes even one nice size 42 carat raw opal...thank you sir for showing me ur talent...
I cringed to see that beautiful fire cut down again and again but I'm sure it's the nature of the beast and the final outcome was beautiful. Thanks for the video.
The person selling the rough stone really knows how to photograph to accentuate with colours with the black background. Very vibrant colours, worked out fantastic!
I dont know much about gems but I sure did enjoy your video.
Im new here. Everytime you cut the stone i was cringing thinking wtf its so pretty why is he cutting it, and then now im at the end and holy hell is that one beautiful stone you got from inside that other beautiful stone. Great heirloom for that family, hope it survives generations!
You were so lucky that the red orientation faced center. I've cut that material often, best color always has crud in it. Nice to see a clean gems for a change. Seems like there was always black/brown spec on the back with the hope it wouldnt show thru. I hope you were paid honest value on a crystal double. Love your work btw.
@@PulitzerOpal I had to quit selling my gems to N.America, we're sadly a Diamond society. My best always went to Thailand jewelry designers. They pay 3 times what an American will pay.
I keep watching your old videos, something to learn in every one of them!
"I THINK I DID WELL OVERALL." What an understatement. You sir are a master gem smith.
Oh the big one would be breath taking in a framing thin gold setting! It needs no extra diamonds! Absolutely beautiful, great work!
When I was 14 I worked in the lapidary shop and got to grade buckets of white opal, and kept the best stuff for myself. But the sold it all when I needed money later. Half pound of gem grade. I’m an idiot. My favorite gem of all time.
My wife loves opals and has several. We enjoyed your video about how they are made into jewelry. Thanks for sharing.
Norm in AZ
That's Breath-taking workmanship. I can't get over the beauty hidden inside these bits of rock.
Great job! You got a spectacular result!! Opals are one of my favorite gems; I would love to have a piece with such magnificent color!!!
Well done it looks beautiful....opal is the nicest stobe/gem out there by a long way. Would love to see someone cut an opal like they cut diamonds with all the angled shapes.
Very nice narration. The mind of the craftsman is well spoken here. NICE JOB!!
You should demand video from sellers instead of photo’s. To keep them honest.
The stones turned out beautiful.
Both of those are really nice beautiful stones, the one you used as a replacement in the pendant was a great replacement. You did a nice job cutting those it looks like. Thanks for sharing.
@Pulitzer Opal: You wouldn't get as many big cutting wheel scours across your primary work face if you just pushed the stones through in the one direction, you marked out your cut ..stick to that line like you do. Its rotating your cutting line thats scouring the work, the blade isn't meeting your previous cuts in exactly the same line across your working plane. I'm not being nasty. Respectfully, you lose significant stone weight cleaning your wheel cutter's scour marks away from primary gem faces. I worked on all kinds of grinders and polished finished aerospace components, in my machining trade. I worked at benches and drills too. And lathes and mills but that was my trade.
If fingers and thumbs are a worry, and I reckon thats fair, why not use a padded-jaw multi-grip to clamp and hold opal once you have your piece rubbed and judge it necessary to slice in halves? Fold some leather over the multi-grip jaws, voila! Hold the work with that, practice with something not so valuable until you are comfortable about it. Different size multi-grips scale down to palm size, you don't need a 10lb monster 12 inches long in heavy forged chrome-vanadium steel.
Ive never seen opal before, I mean in up close.
The colors literally explode out when you turn it.
Its absolutely beautiful.
do you keep the opal dust? time travel anyone?
We had such an amazing time in Coober Pedy recently. Loved watching how those beautiful opals are created!
The fire is beautiful on this "Risky" purchase! You did well!
I know nothing about cutting stones or opals. But your replacement stone was perfect for my eyes. I've never seen a stone being cut and shaped custom like that.
How cool is this video showing the craftsmanship that goes into bringing the beauty out of these gems!! Love this gorgeous stone!
@@PulitzerOpal you have a new subscriber. I looked into your other videos and enjoyed them very much. ☺
@@PulitzerOpal i have notifications on so ill see you in the comments of you new video!
Opals are magical thank you.
Thanks for sharing your expertise, you make it look so easy ! I'm sure it takes years of experience to do the miracle magic that you do!
How much would that cost ?
I visited Coober Pedy in 1987 when I was on temporary assignment in Woomera with the USAF. I purchased a rough opal and had it made into two sets of earrings and a pendant for my sisters and mother. I'll never forget the drive through the outback from Woomera to Coober Pedy.
Not much out there mate except rocket carcuses, opals and red dirt!
Absolutely beautiful opal. Fire red like that is not common. I have some top grade welo with fire like that, but I think nothing beats aussie opal.
Blues & greens are common, the rare end is red. Thanks for great video, enjoyed watching.
Ian Baker I have a 205 carat semi black opal with fiery red.
Wow that pendant is so much more beautiful with the new opal.
Am I the only one that loved the stone before he smoothed it? I liked the imperfections, made it unique.
Man I love your work, and I love the fact that you appreciate how Luther people see your work :)
Keep making videos and sharing your understanding 🍻
love seeing your info on opal carving and the start of a new hobby i really love
The gems ya showing is beautiful and also relaxing experience
Yes , you did very well . Just one thing , and this question comes from a novice (that Whiter Shade Of Pale Full Version guy in London) : you really demonstrate just how important orienting is in the last minute or so of this video , by which i'm asking that orienting , and getting the facing forward angle of the dome bit right seems to be the most difficult bit . Cutting the final shape and polishing will be the first skills a cutter would learn , is that right to say - and the orienting is where you really have to be time served / experienced . Anyway , thank you , as always - the gorgeous red + oranges you draw out in the smaller stone are so beautiful .
@@PulitzerOpal - thank you very much for taking the time to reply . Yes , and ''directional'' , the meaning thereof , is also , I presume , something one would learn the meaning of whilst learning how to ''orient'' . This is not a question for now , as it is not a budget option atmo , but I guess learning more about cutting opal etc , is something one would do with a connection , meaning there are not really courses in the same . I am lucky to know a few people in the UK opal cutting community , so I will crack on from that position , I would think , obvs , one would hone your cab cutting skills first , on either potch - or do you recommend obsidian also .
Last I remember I was smoking a fat bowl of kush wreck and now I’m here
Lmfao
Lol
you sure you weren't watching livepd?
Those came out so nice! and you hit figurative gold when you cut in half finding that color so well.
Opal is such an underrated stone.
OMG, that is SO gorgeous! My birthstone is opal, but I've always loved all opals. They are the MOST extraordinary stone, and so incredibly unique. The black opal is just the best. I wish I could afford that stone, because I would be so honored to wear it. No stone on earth has the color, flash, fire and diversity as the opal. Can't stop looking at them.
So many "what a waste" comments. Go learn to cut stones before you sprout garbage. There is a hell of a lot more involved in getting a good cut, especially with color change stones and opal, than simply getting the biggest/most stones out of your rough. I am not a gem cutter but I have friends that are and believe me, he did a great job with the stones he got out of a particularly risky rough purchase. The larger stone on it's own would be considered a win from a rough of that quality. In hindsight, sure, he probably could have gotten more out of it but that is the nature of the game, you don't know till you do it.
Pulitzer Opal Amen ignore those folks. They are ignorant. Let them go buy the milky white crap in the mall. If they saw a opal in a pile of rocks they would not even know what they were looking at.
@Xaltar
- It's "spout"... not "sprout"
Xaltar he can waste quite a bit of material when doing these videos. I’m he thing is, he is looking to get money off of these stones. Most of us who work in lapidary would try to get as much material as possible but that is just not worth his time.
Chill out Xaltar, go get stoned. ;-)
Aesthetic appeal is subjective. I agree he brought out the best parts the stone had to offer but people aren't necessarily wrong in wanting a sinngle huge stone no matter what sort of expertise they have. It's not like buying a car or appliance where there a re hard performance rating to compare. It's more like two people going to a butcher and one person just buys the fillet while the other guy decides he wants the whole porterhouse scrap parts and all (in this case the bone?)
I really like your videos. You explain in detail. Which is good for those of us who are learning. Thank you so much.
How great you are at making something, beautiful exquisite. X
@@PulitzerOpal you are more than welcome. I'm honoured to have a reply back. Thank you very much x
You did amazing. I don't know the words to describe how opals make me feel. I just am so in love. I'm a rockhound in the truest sense of the word. But nothing comes close to opals for me. That was an amazing stone.
I personally found this very fascinating and well said. You provided the thought process involved in your decision making attacking the raw product. I suppose it would be "rude" for me to ask what the price range was in the raw material purchase versus the finished products? My motivation for asking is because I am researching this subject for a screenplay.
This one turned out some gorgeous stones!! I'm always awed watching you work. When you first showed that stone, I thought you might get 1 or 2 nice ones, but wow.
Opal dont need any Stones beside. I want only the Beauty of the Opal.
I concur Ludwig....... & for me that is EVERY💎Gem~ Loud & Proud! Respect. Rosie 🦓
After watching all seasons of outback opal hunters.... I think I missed my calling... Great informative demonstration on cuttinpg opals
It would be nice to know how much you paid for the rough opal and how much it’s worth when polished.
It was worth an arm and a leg but now the bigger stone is about two newborns and the smaller about one adult soul for eternity.
It's my birth stone so for a long time I've been interested in Opal. I think you did a fine job. bueatiful
GORGEOUS EXCELLENT CUT
O.M.G. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen..... I am a huge fan of Opal.....I’m in love and WISH I could get my hands on that one rite there.WOWZERS .... But, it’s BAD LUCK to purchase my own.....
Hmmm that was pleasant to watch! Thank you!
You work with one of the most beautiful gem stones there is. Very beautiful work you did.
u did more than just ok its gorgeous both pieces!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome find. I think it came out pretty well altogether. I dig the colors on that opal. Keep up the good work sir!
This vid made my carpal tunnel hurt just watching it.
Great job upgrading that pendant. Before with the original stone the piece looked flat, did not "pop". Getting the dome on the piece you selected must have been tricky, however, the end result was very pretty to my eyes.
I think using a 2.7 needle rig with a 0.9 tooth file along 785G point-crimp would help. If that helps I’d be amazed because I made it all up. But if it works I want credit for that.
😂😂😂
I love opals so much!! Thank you for sharing this!
As i said on your other videos, add prices, before --> after. People are asking about it in the comments. GREAT video tho, keep it up!
I'd say if you're not comfortable doing it, then don't do it. It's your business. Alternatively, you could be vague about it (e.g. "low five figures"). I'm curious about the finances of this too, but it's just idle curiosity. It's your personal business and what you reveal is up to you. Interesting video. Cheers!
Bbooj Smooya makes a great point. Never wanted to force you in that direction, but people like numbers haha. Btw you can edit your comments @pulitzer Opal . Looking forward to some new vids, greetings from Amsterdam.
Very beautiful stone and I liked your narration of the video! Thanks!
How beautiful!! God truly has made such beautiful things!!! I can only imagine seeing creations such as this lining heaven full of love and peace and God's grace!! I hope everyone here can learn to live in God's glorious spirit!!
You need to start believing in atheism. You're a fool.
Umm no water, rocks and time. Get an education
☺😄☺☺☺☺☺☺❄🤓🦄🎀🙈🙉😌😁
A beautiful stone specimen , love those black flecs and the darker brown spots giving the stone uniqueness.
lesson learned to get best of the best part not as big as posible
Don’t know why this was in my recommend list,but I watched it......and enjoyed it. Thanks
dam it that stone is beautiful
Incredible job, I'm sure she was thrilled with the new replacement. You really have a great talent. I love opal one of my favorites. It was a great to watch you. Thanks
what is the useful of them ? how are so important them ?
You should have sliced it sooner, so many potential stones wasted. Still a stunner though!
I think it is a beautiful 'save' from a questionable stone. your technique is wonderful! Thank you for posting this video. Lovely work!
You are way too humble but your choices and works speak for you and your end results SHOUT out FANTASTIC! Thanks!
~Opal~
Pulitzer Opal- Certainly. They calm me and help me remember the world is still wondrous, in spite of the calamity and turmoil.
That thumbs-down up there⬆is someone jealous and bitter. I feel sorry for it.
Thanks for your vids. Appreciated!
My favorite type of opal: milky opal. Absolutely GORGEOUS work!
My best friend and I were 10, so 21 years ago we ran to the store, crossing the black asphalt we really did run. My best friend lost her opal stone from her brother’s necklace. We stopped traffic looking for it. We look for thirty mins. Nothing, every time I go over the spot to this day I still wonder where it went. I thought it was going to reflect the sun so easily we were bound to find it. I told Lauren she must of lost it som where else, she intently yelled no I know it fell down my shirt and my necklace got a lot lighter. I did not want to stop looking for it, she said “it’s gone let’s go” that was the last gift her brother at the time was 20 gave her, he had passed away and I knew how much she loved that necklace. It was a big deal her mom didn’t want her wearing it everyday. I see opal and think where did it go? We really looked hard.
Real Victoria lovely story Victoria terrible happening
A big improvement on the pendant such a beautiful replacement
8:49........ i see Alf in the stone
Looks more like a German shepherd
Holy shit it's him!
THIS is why i come to the internet .
By watching you and listening to you talk you have taught me how to talk down the sellers but I'm not a theif or liar. So I have a very hard time stealing from people. Especially people who work their butts of for next to nothing. So I'll return half of what I make to the actual minners. I'm sorry but I'm not greedy. Spread love not greed or hate.
@@PulitzerOpal pops I never in a million years ment to offend you or say that you stole. I was simply telling you that I am unable to do that. I was raised not to be a theif or liar is all I ment by the comment. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me.
@@jameslund2658 Mate you should try to buy and sell and make a living, youll soon find its not about stealing or taking advantage of anyone, its business and as many times as you win you lose, in my opinion Pulitzer paid top dollar for this pice and should be getting a 3-400% profit but only got 200% which is almost untenable as a base rate of return in the gem industry from mine to market.
Marbles are very loose with this 1
Cant believe you cut them down So much!
I like your vids as I've always had a thing for opals, but never owned any and would love to mine for some, but LOL none in England..... Congrats on your expertise and thanks for sharing...